


the only exception

by blindinglights



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Hale Family, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Mates, Oblivious Derek, Oblivious Stiles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:26:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25229809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blindinglights/pseuds/blindinglights
Summary: Craigslist was a mistake, speed dating was an even bigger mistake, and he’s not sure what else to do. He could just go to a club, pick someone up, and then see where that goes but he’s pretty sure that’d be an even bigger mistake. He could just tell his mom that things changed and he broke up with the person he had lied about before.He looks down at his phone and sees a missed text from Erica. He’s suddenly hit with an idea.What’s the name of that bar you mentioned?(Or the one where Derek needs to find a date to a family full moon dinner and ends up meeting Stiles.)
Relationships: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski
Comments: 23
Kudos: 608





	the only exception

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bewarethesmirk](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bewarethesmirk/gifts).



> This is for bewarethesmirk! Sorry this took so long, but I really hope you like this. :) I took your prompt and just went with it. Thank you to impractical_matters for the beta!

Derek’s starting to get tired of hearing his family and his friends ask time after time if he’s ever going to “find his mate,” or at least find a date. He knows it’s been a few years since he last went on one, but he just hasn’t been interested. At least he’s grateful his family isn’t one of those traditional packs that still believe in arranged marriages. Sure, his mom will still mention other packs and tell him about how the Alpha she met with had a son or daughter that she thinks Derek might be interested in, but she wouldn’t stoop so low as to forcefully set him up. So he’s thankful for that, at least.

But they still bug him with questions, and it’s to the point where he’s had to lie to his own pack and parents. And it’s not like his mom said anything too bad anyway. All she asked was if he was bringing anyone to the full moon dinner in a few months, the big one for the Blood Moon. He could’ve said no, like he always does. Instead, he said yes. 

Now he’s staring at his computer screen, his phone left forgotten next to him on the couch. He’s staring at Craigslist, of all things. There’s a dating section. It’s filled with people desperately looking for love, most of them give Derek a bad feeling. 

He scrolls through two pages before giving up with a heavy sigh. He knew this was a bad idea anyway, nothing good really comes from Craigslist. He’s just about to exit it when he sees a posting for a speed dating event at a local park. He clicks on it and sees that it’s for tonight. 

_Casual speed dating_ , it says, _come meet local singles!_

This is probably also a bad idea, but he finds himself writing down the info, checking the time, before deciding to go get ready.

\--

The speed dating ends up being...Bad would be putting it nicely, he thinks. 

The first guy he sat with only wanted to talk about how hot he thought Derek was, kept making crude jokes about how he knows Derek must be “big,” and even went as far as to ask if he could find out. Thankfully that was asked right when the bell rang for them to move. 

The second guy kept interrupting Derek at every moment. He could barely get two words out before the guy decided to just talk about himself. When the bell rang, all Derek could manage was a grimace. 

The third guy smelt bad. The fourth guy kept nudging Derek with his leg and even got close to push his foot against Derek’s dick, to the point where Derek had to yell at him to back off. Everyone had stopped and looked over at them, and Derek just wanted to be anywhere but there. Hearing the bell ring was a relief.

Now he’s sitting in front of the fifth guy and he just wants this whole experience to be over. He’s tired of listening to all of these guys talk about the most boring stuff, and he’s tired of the creepiness; they’re all awful and he hates it. 

“I think we’re perfect for each other,” Fifth Guy says, practically leering at Derek.

“Doubt it,” Derek tells him. 

“Aw, don’t play so hard to get,” the guy says. “We should just get out of here already.”

“I’m really not interested,” Derek says. “We’re not perfect for each other, I don’t even know you.”

“But that’s the best thing! We can get to know each other. I know you’re my perfect match.”

Derek groans into his hands. “Look, I get it, maybe you’re just lonely. But this?” He motions between them. “Not gonna happen.”

“It is, just give us a chance, I’ll show you how perfect we are together,” the guy keeps insisting, and it’s just making Derek mad.

The chime of the bell is once again, a welcome relief, but instead of moving on to the sixth guy, he gets out of his seat and just leaves. 

He hears the person in charge of the speed dating call after him, but he waves a dismissive hand in their direction and keeps walking. Sure, he’s leaving them down one person, making it all uneven. But he swears if he stays just a minute longer, he’s gonna do something he regrets. All of the people in that entire room are some of the worst people Beacon Hills has to offer, and he’s not going to be interested in any of them. 

He’s still going to give the whole “finding someone” a chance, but it sure as hell isn’t going to be in there. He’ll just have to think of something else.

Derek spends several minutes just sitting in his car. Craigslist was a mistake, speed dating was an even bigger mistake, and he’s not sure what else to do. He could just go to a club, pick someone up, and then see where that goes but he’s pretty sure that’d be an even bigger mistake. He could just tell his mom that things changed and he broke up with the person he had lied about before. 

He looks down at his phone and sees a missed text from Erica. He’s suddenly hit with an idea.

_What’s the name of that bar you mentioned?_

She’s quick to respond. _The one Boyd started working at?_

_Yeah, that one._

She sends him an address and a, _why are you going to a bar?_

_No reason_ , he replies, _I just wanted to check it out_. If she was in the room with him right now, she’d catch the lie easy. 

_There’s something you’re not saying_ , she texts back. Derek rubs at the bridge of his nose. Of course, she doesn’t even need to be in the same room. They’ve known each other way too long, and Erica is scarily perceptive. 

_Just wanted to check it out_ , he insists. 

_Fine_ , she sends, _but you’re gonna tell me eventually_.

Derek rolls his eyes and replies with, _goodnight_. 

\--

The bar is small, tucked away at the dead end of a street in downtown Beacon Hills. It has a bright neon blue sign that says _Wolves Den_. 

Apparently it’s owned by a werewolf named Scott, who Erica and Boyd went to school with. Scott’s apparently a vet by day and co-owner of a bar at night with his best friend, according to Erica. He’s met Scott a few times, since it's Derek’s mom’s job is to know every werewolf in the area, but he doesn’t really know Scott well. 

The inside of the bar is surprisingly cosy. The lighting is soft, casting the whole place in a glow that makes the place seem inviting. It’s a stark contrast to most bars in the area, and Derek is pleasantly surprised that he likes it. 

He makes his way to the bar and takes a seat. As he looks around, he starts to notice that he’s not the only supernatural being in the room. The bar is filled with other werewolves and he even spots a couple vampires tucked away in a back corner. There’s humans completely unaware of what's around them. 

“Hey there, can I get you anything?” 

He turns around and is met by an attractive man smiling and holding out a drink menu. Derek’s finding himself at a loss for words. Part of him wants to say something cheesy like _your number_ , but he knows he shouldn’t hit on the bartender and it’d be very unlike him to do anyway. 

Instead, he looks down at the menu and notices that it’s a menu specifically for the supernatural. There’s a section specifically for werewolves, beers infused with safe levels of wolfsbane. 

When he looks back up, it’s to see the bartender shrugging. “It’s easy to tell. Werewolf, right?” 

“How’d you guess?” Derek asks. 

The guy smiles. “I’ve got my ways,” he says. “Plus I co-own this place with my best friend, who is a werewolf.” He points down at the menu. “It’s why we have these.”

“So, a supernatural bar.”

“A _secret_ supernatural bar. Still serve humans, ones who are unaware of what’s around them.” The smile falls off his face. “So we have rules we’d like everyone to follow. No flashing eyes, no fights, no attacking any humans. This is a safe place for everyone. We’d like to keep it that way.” 

“That’s a good rule,” Derek agrees, and then decides on ordering a beer. 

When the guy hands him his drink, he says, “I’m Stiles, by the way.” 

“Derek,” he says in return. 

“Talia Hale’s son,” Stiles says. “We haven’t really met before, but I thought I recognized you.”

“Yeah, Scott’s been at the house a few times,” Derek says, but he’s never remembered seeing Stiles there before. Stiles makes a noise of agreement and then goes back to work.

Derek takes a moment to look around the bar, trying to see if there’s anyone he’s remotely interested in, but there’s absolutely nobody that does. 

Except for Stiles, who is currently polishing glasses behind the counter. So Derek turns his attention back on him, watching as he goes through the various duties and then starts counting stock. 

Boyd must be off tonight. While part of him was hoping to run into his friend, he’s fine with the new turn of events. By the time Derek’s on his second beer, he sees Scott come behind the counter, poking around at everything. 

“How’s things tonight, Stiles?” Scott’s asking, peering at a piece of paper on the counter. 

“Business as usual,” Stiles reports. “We might need to order a few things soon before we run out.” 

Eventually, Scott finally notices him, a grin spreading across his face. “Hey, Derek!” And then to Stiles, “You didn’t tell me Mrs. Hale’s son was here.” 

Stiles waves a hand. “I didn’t think I needed to. I wasn’t gonna make a big deal out of it.”

“Erica mentioned this place,” Derek tells them. “And Boyd works here. Thought I’d finally check it out.”

Scott thanks him for stopping by and then tells Stiles he’s going to head out. Once Scott leaves, it’s just Stiles behind the counter, and Derek’s pretty sure it’s just him that’s left working. He remembers seeing the cooks leave a bit ago, when Stiles had stated the kitchen was closed. It makes Derek nervous just thinking of him closing up by himself. So he decides he’s going to stall, try to stay here as long as possible and make sure Stiles gets to his car safely. 

It doesn’t end up being that difficult. They end up talking more once Stiles runs out of things he needs to do. And as everyone else in the bar starts to trickle out, Derek stays rooted where he sits, listening to Stiles talk. 

\--

During the week, Derek finds himself thinking about Stiles. The work week goes by quickly and before he knows it, it’s Friday. 

He could go back to the bar, he could go see Stiles. He doesn’t know if he’s there, but he hopes he is. He’s gone so many days just doing the same old things, of hanging out with his family and pack and not finding himself interested in anyone. But then here comes Stiles, and Derek’s finding himself wanting to get to know him. 

The bar is busy when he gets there. There’s people standing outside talking and when he gets inside, it’s to see almost every table taken. There’s a few seats left at the bar, so he heads right over there before anyone else can take the rest of the spots. He waits for a few minutes, not seeing a single bartender behind the counter. Boyd must be off again, and he tells himself he’ll try to remember to ask what days he works.

It takes a few minutes before he sees Stiles pushing his way through the door to the kitchen. He’s yelling something to the back, before he turns around and stops when he notices Derek.

“Hey, Derek,” Stiles says. “Back again!”

“I liked it here, thought I’d come back,” Derek says, although the voice in the back of his head says, _I liked you_. 

“Well you’re always welcome here,” Stiles tells him. “Same as last time?” 

When Derek says yes, Stiles quickly hands him his drink. They don’t talk for the first half hour that Derek’s there, because Stiles is busy doing a bunch of different tasks. 

Once it seems Stiles gets to a stopping point, at least for now, he ends up leaning against the counter near Derek. So they start talking, about anything and everything, and it’s nice. It’s so different from talking to anyone else he knows, easy in a way most things aren’t for Derek, and he finds he likes it a lot.

After that, he starts going to the bar any time he can. He’ll order one drink and just sip it slowly the whole night. He tries to tell himself that he just likes the atmosphere, it’s a nice bar, but he knows the only reason he goes is because of Stiles. He just won’t admit it, even if in part

\--

“So,” Erica starts as she plops down next to Derek on the couch. Boyd and Issac are in the kitchen grabbing their dinner. Erica takes a bite out of her pizza, swallows, and then smirks. “So, I heard from Boyd that you’ve been frequenting the bar.” 

“I go sometimes,” he says. 

“No,” she says, slowly. “He says you go a lot and says you’re always talking to Stiles.” 

Derek sighs. “Fine, I go often,” he corrects. “But I still don’t go there a lot.”

Erica laughs. “Oh, Derek. You know it’s okay if you like someone, right?” 

“It’s not what you think,” Derek tries, but she’s not freakin’ listening, because all she does is laugh and throw a hand around his shoulders. 

“I love ya, Derek, but you’re kinda hopeless. Would it be so bad if you did end up liking someone?”

“No, but,” he starts, but Erica shushes him. 

“No buts! You need to stop hiding away and give someone a chance. You never know!” 

“Erica, there’s nothing there. I sometimes go to the bar to order a few drinks. That’s it.”

She rolls her eyes, still not believing him, but she lets it go for now. Instead, she grabs another slice of pizza and kicks her feet up on the coffee table, stealing the remote. He hates when she puts her feet up on the table, but he’s going to let it slide this once, as long as it means he doesn’t have to listen to his friend talk about his nonexistent lovelife. 

\--

Most of the time when he goes, Stiles is there, but tonight he looks everywhere but doesn’t see him at all. Boyd’s behind the counter, wiping it down and talking to someone at the bar. As soon as Derek sits down, Boyd wraps it up and heads over to Derek. 

“Stiles isn’t here,” is the first thing Boyd says to him.

Derek raises an eyebrow. “Why do you think I’m here for Stiles?”

“Because you’re always here for Stiles.” And then, “What’re you drinking? Usual?”

Derek nods and Boyd quickly makes his drink, sliding it over to him. “Is it that obvious?”

“To me? Sure. To Stiles? I think he’s as oblivious as you are, to be honest.” 

Derek sighs and scrubs a hand down his face. “Listen, it’s not what you think.” It’s exactly what he told Erica, but the more he says it outloud the more he realizes how fake he sounds. 

“Sure,” Boyd says, smiling. “Keep telling yourself that. But you? Are oblivious.”

“You know, you sound like Erica.”

“That’s because we both know you,” Boyd tells him. “And we’re both right.”

“It’s really not what you think,” he insists, but it falls flat.

“Is it really so bad if you like him? Come on, man. It’s okay if you do. Stiles is a good guy.” It’s almost identical to what Erica had asked him, and they’ve definitely been talking about him. 

“No,” he allows. “But I don’t know... I do like talking to him.”

“But?”

“I don’t know what I think,” Derek says. 

“Well, figure out,” Boyd tells him. “I know what I see, but only you can figure out how you feel. Okay?” 

“Okay.” 

\--

It’s a week later when he runs into Stiles at the local bookstore. Stiles is standing in the back, perusing the fantasy books that are tucked away back there. Derek hesitates for all of a second before he’s walking over to him and saying hi. Stiles smiles when he looks up and it makes the breath catch in Derek’s throat. 

“Hey,” Stiles says. “Fancy seeing you here.”

There’s several books in his hands, so Derek holds them up. “Just picking up new books.”

Stiles peers at them, trying to discern what he picked out. “History books? Not surprising at all. Although that one romance novel is.”

Derek feels his cheeks heat, and he quickly tucks the book underneath the others. Although, it doesn’t really matter now anyway, Stiles already saw it. 

“What’re you looking for?” he asks, trying to get the focus off what’s in his hands.

“Something sci-fi,” Stiles says with a shrug. “Or maybe something supernatural. It’s fun reading supernatural books and seeing what they get right.” 

“The more they get right, the more likely it was written by someone supernatural.” 

“Gotta add in some fake shit to cover the real stuff, right?” Stiles says with a laugh. And it’s such a nice laugh.

He’s not sure what comes over him, but he ends up asking, “Do you want to go grab a coffee?” 

Stiles grins wider. “Yeah, sure. Sounds great.” 

There’s a coffee shop attached to the bookstore and once they both pay for their books, they walk over and find a place to sit. They sit there talking for over an hour and by the time they part ways, Derek’s got Stiles’ number finally and can’t help the small smile on his face.

\--

They start texting after that.

It starts off with little things, like Stiles telling him about his day. He’ll text Derek while he’s working at the bar, telling him stories about the different customers he’s been dealing with. 

But then they start talking more and more, to the point it’s almost an everyday thing. And then Stiles starts texting him good morning every day. He didn’t expect it at first, but when he first sees the good morning text when he wakes up one morning, it fills his chest with warmth. He spends a good few minutes just staring down and smiling at it before finally saying good morning back.

It becomes a thing after that, where he’ll wake up every morning to a text from Stiles, and he starts expecting to see it. He tries not to think too much about it, or about the warm feeling he always feels in his chest at the sight of it. The feeling doesn’t go away, but he tries to squash out the question of why, and just keeps talking to Stiles.

It’s nice, he thinks, talking to him. He tries to say that’s all it really is.

It’s about a few weeks into their texting that Derek finds himself texting Stiles, _would you like to get coffee sometime?_

Stiles’ reply is an almost instant reply of, _yes_.

It’s not a date, Derek tries to tell himself. They’re just two friends getting coffee, that’s it. He’s pretty sure he’s lying to himself at this point.

\--

They meet for coffee in the little cozy cafe that Derek tends to frequent a lot. It’s small with comfy chairs and it’s never too busy that he can’t find a nice quiet spot to sit and read. Plus the coffee is amazing. He’s already ordered drinks for both of them by the time Stiles arrives, having already asked Stiles via text what he drinks. 

Stiles notices the drinks on the table and smiles. “Thanks,” Stiles says as he takes a sip. “Man I really needed this. Last night was rough.”

“What happened?” 

“Had an asshole customer last night,” Stiles says. “He gave us a hard time, got really drunk, and wouldn’t listen. Boyd had to drag him out.” 

“Good, glad Boyd kicked him out.” 

They spend time just talking about any and everything under the sun. Derek even mentions the garden he has in his backyard, about how his cucumbers aren’t growing like they’re supposed to and he’s not sure what he’s doing wrong. 

By the end of it, Derek’s even smiling, and he realizes he’s actually been smiling a lot more since meeting him.

After that, they start meeting up for coffee regularly. Every time they do, it keeps feeling more like a date, but he has no idea if they really are. He tries not to think too much about it, tries his best not to overthink at all, but when he’s laying in his bedroom at night, he can’t help but think about how nice it was to spend time with Stiles. About how he actually enjoyed doing it, and he’s never really found anyone that he clicks with like that. 

\--

He’s at his parents house, standing against the kitchen island while his mom makes dinner. He’s staring up at the ceiling when he blurts out, “So how do you know if you’ve found your mate?” 

When he looks over at his mom, her face is lit up. “Who are they?” she asks. 

He knows she’s thinking about when he said he was bringing someone to the family event, and he still hasn’t said who. He’s not going to tell her, because there’s technically not even someone yet.

Derek sighs. “I’m just wondering how you know. How did you know dad was your mate?”

Her face softens at that. “Well when I met your father, it was something that felt right. Easy to talk to, fun, and I kept wanting to see him. It’s hard to explain, but you just know deep down. It’s this feeling you get, right here.” She places a hand over her heart. “You just look at them, spend enough time together, and you just know.” 

“I met someone,” he says. “I don’t know yet if he’s my mate. But it feels right, when I’m near him.” 

“Trust your feelings, Derek,” she says. “Listen to what your heart says. If it feels right, he might be your mate.”

“He knows about werewolves.”

“That’s good then, means he’ll understand better than your usual human would.” 

“I still don’t actually know, yet.”

She smiles warmly, placing a hand over top his. “Trust yourself. You’ll know.”

—

They go to dinner one night and it feels so much like a date that he wants to say something, but instead he bites his tongue and just enjoys the evening. The restaurant they go to isn’t even a fancy restaurant, but it’s definitely a step above the usual diner food they sometimes get once Stiles is off work at the bar. 

They order their food. And as they’re waiting for it, Derek listens to Stiles talk about some renovations he’s been thinking of making on the bar and the fact if he went through with it, they’d have to close down for a few weeks. 

“I really don’t know if we can manage it,” Stiles is saying. “On one hand, I feel like it’d really help make the place better. But finances, you know? Don’t know if we’re at a place to be able to do it yet.” 

“Maybe you’ll need to wait on it a little longer,” Derek suggests.

“Yeah,” Stiles says with a sigh. “I think you’re right.”

They move onto different topics. Stiles talks about his dad, Derek mentions his parents, and then they move onto stories about their friends. 

It’s all so easy, he realizes. Talking to Stiles and being around him like this just feels so natural to him. When Stiles’ foot bumps into his halfway through dinner and he watches as a blush makes its way onto Stiles’ face, it hits Derek. This feels like a date. It feels more like a date than their coffee ones do, and he’s not sure what to make of it at all. Half of him wants to keep saying it’s not, that there’s nothing there, but there’s another part of him that’s starting to push away at his reluctance to put any sort of name to whatever it is that’s going on with him and Stiles. A part of him that wants more, that knows something he won’t even admit to yet. 

He thinks about what his mom said about mates, but he shakes that thought off. There’s no way, and it’s too soon to know anyway, he feels like. 

He just enjoys Stiles’ company, that’s it, he tries to assure himself.

In front of him, Stiles is talking with his hands as he tells Derek about the time Scott fell off the roof after he got turned and figured out about werewolf healing. Derek tries to just focus on what Stiles’ is telling him, ignoring the voice at the back of his head the best he can manage to.

—

The bar has a no violence rule. Even if Stiles had never told him about it, he would’ve known anyway because there’s signs up on the walls. They’re generic signs that tell people to not do anything stupid, and that violence will give you an instant ban at that bar. Derek knows they’re a good warning to the supernatural, a silent plea of “don’t give yourselves away.” 

It’s supposed to be somewhere neutral. Although, Derek knows good and well that humans can be just as violent. So really, the signs go both ways. And while they’ve got the rule set in place, he’s not as naive to think it wouldn’t ever happen. People are reckless and don’t like to listen, instead wanting to play by their own rules.

He’s walking up to the bar just at closing time when he hears a loud noise come from the back and hears voices. Stiles is yelling for whoever it is to leave but whoever it is that’s attacking Stiles isn’t listening. Derek rushes down the alley, toward where the back door is and snarls when he sees Stiles pinned up against the brick. He can smell the blood on Stiles and it just makes him angrier, something in him shouting _protect_.

They’re three werewolves, but they’re easy enough for Derek to take out. He grabs the one who has Stiles pinned first before going after the other two. Soon enough, he has the three of them cowering on the ground before running away. Once he has that taken care of, he turns to Stiles who is grimacing in pain as he tries to stand up. 

“Tonight is really not my night,” Stiles mutters.

Derek scoops him up in his arms, much to Stiles’ protests.

“Hey, I can walk,” Stiles protests, smacking Derek in the chest.

“You’re hurt and bleeding. I’m taking you home.”

“Ugh, fine. The bar’s already locked up. The assholes grabbed me as I was heading toward my Jeep.”

They leave the Jeep behind and he manages to get Stiles home in mostly one piece. He rummages around in the first aid kit Stiles had under his bathroom sink, and wets a washcloth to clean the cuts. 

Stiles is perched on the counter with one hand on Derek’s shoulder for balance. His face is scrunched up in pain and he hates seeing it. He carefully brings the cloth up to Stiles’ face and gently wipes away the blood. 

It’s thankfully not too bad, not to where he has to worry, even though a part of him doesn’t want to look at it logically. Because Stiles is hurt, his _mate_ is hurt, and--Oh.

 _Oh_.

The revelation stuns Derek so much that he stops what he’s doing, the rag still pressed against Stiles’ face.

“Wha-?” 

“Nothing,” Derek says, brushing it off. He starts wiping Stiles’ face again until it’s all cleaned of blood and then he cleans the scrapes on his arms before putting ointment on them and bandaids. Once he’s done, he just stands there, staring at Stiles with his hands hesitating right near his hips. 

Stiles cocks an eyebrow. “Can I get down now, big guy? Think you’re done cleaning me up.” 

Derek steps away at that, even though he wants to do more. 

“I’m gonna get a glass of water and some pain killers,” Stiles says as he heads out of the bathroom.

And oh right, he needs that. That’s important. So Derek trails after him and makes sure he does that. Afterward, Derek hesitates in the doorway of Stiles’ apartment before he leaves, even though he really, really doesn’t want to leave. Every instinct in him is protesting, telling him he should stay and make sure Stiles is okay. 

He sits in his car for the longest time before forcing himself to go home.

—

He could go to his mom again, but it’d probably be the same things she told him before. Erica and Isaac are out of the question, because Erica’s got a big mouth and Isaac’s busy doing something with Scott. And he loves them and he knows that Erica’s heart is in the right place; he knows she just wants him to be happy. But he knows Boyd’s better at the whole talking thing anyway. Boyd’s quiet and he listens and it’ll be better, he thinks. So he goes over to the bar on a day when he knows Stiles shouldn’t be there and when Boyd will be. 

Boyd’s busy when he first walks in. The bar is packed, busier than the past few nights he’s been here, so he settles into a free chair at the bar. Once Boyd’s done, he doesn’t even have to ask him before a drink is being passed to him.

“Is Stiles here?” Derek asks. 

“He went to run a quick errand,” Boyd says. “He’ll be back soon.” 

That makes Derek look back at the door, like he thinks soon is now. But there’s no Stiles, so he sighs and turns back around to Boyd. “Stiles got hurt the other night.”

“He told us about that,” Boyd says. “And he’s not allowed to close by himself anymore. He was lucky you showed up when you did.”

Well, that’s good. If stuff like that is going to start happening, then Stiles shouldn’t close by himself. “Let me guess, he didn’t like that at all.”

“Nope,” Boyd shrugs. “But we’re not gonna listen to him. He’s gotta deal with it.”

“Good.” Derek fiddles with his straw, bending in all different directions. “Hopefully those ‘wolves got the message and won’t come around again.”

“From what Stiles said? You really kicked their asses. It’d be stupid if they did.” 

Derek snorts at that. It would be, because going based on his little revelation, he’s pretty certain they’d be in worse shape than he left them before. Derek stills at that, because that revelation is why he’s here in the first place. He sighs, fiddling with the napkin in his hands. 

“I realized something,” he starts. 

Boyd raises an eyebrow, waiting. “Okay.” 

“I think Stiles is my mate,” he says in a rush. Boyd just nods. “After I brought him home, I took care of him, and-”

“And you realized it,” Boyd finishes for him. “It just hits you, right? That sudden feeling.”

“Yeah,” Derek says, and this is why he went to him in the first place. Boyd’s so good at listening, and plus he has a mate, so he knows. “Do I tell him?” 

“If you think it’s the right time, I say you should. He knows about werewolves, Derek. I don’t think it’d scare him away. And haven’t you both been dating for months now anyway?”

Derek startles at that. “No,” he says, but then thinks back on everything that felt like one. “I don’t think so?”

Boyd sighs. “I stand by what I said before. You’re both oblivious. Talk to him, man.” 

“You don’t think it’s too soon to mention mates to him?” Derek asks after a few minutes. 

“Nah,” Boyd assures. “Like I said, he’ll get it. Just talk to him.”

“Alright.” He fishes his phone out of his pocket and texts Stiles, _can we talk later?_ Because Stiles still isn’t here, and he doubts telling him here of all places would be the best idea.

 _Sure_ , comes through not even a minute later, _is everything okay?_

 _Yes, just need to talk to you_ , Derek replies back. Stiles only manages a simple _okay_. Derek tells him he’ll stop by to pick him up tonight and then pockets his phone, tosses some money on the counter, and leaves before Stiles manages to get back. Because he knows if he doesn’t, Stiles will try to coax out whatever’s bothering Derek. 

—

Derek picks him up at work. Stiles is already standing by the front doors with Boyd standing next to him. As soon as Boyd sees him, he waves at Derek and says bye to Stiles, and then heads for his own car parked across the street. 

When Stiles hops in, he says, “Hey, so what did you want to talk about?” 

“How about we go to the diner nearby? I’ll buy you a late dinner.” 

“Sure.” 

They make their way to a back corner of the diner and they both order cheeseburgers and shakes. They’re both quiet as they wait, as Derek tries to figure out how he even says something like this. 

Boyd’s words of “he understands” rings in his head. And yeah, Stiles does understand. He should, if he’s always been there for his best friend since his friend turned. This was stuff he had to have learned, so he has to understand to some extent.

“I think you might be my mate,” Derek blurts out. That’s the wrong way to go about this, he knows, but it’s too late now. It’s already out in the open.

Stiles spits out the milkshake he was drinking. “Jesus Christ.” He wipes his mouth with the nearest napkin. “You think we’re mates?” 

“Things feel right with you,” Derek confesses. “Don’t know how to explain it.” 

“You know, Boyd kept telling me we’ve been dating,” Stiles says. “Uh, I think he’s right.” 

“Said the same thing to me.” 

“Maybe we should’ve talked about this before, then, right?” Stiles laughs softly as he fiddles with his napkin. “But those times before, I’m hoping we can, uh, count them as dates.” 

“Me, too,” Derek says. “I’d like to.”

“Good.” Stiles smiles wider. “So, mates, huh?” 

“I’m pretty sure,” Derek says. “But maybe we can keep dating for now? We don’t need to get too serious, yet.”

“Yeah, I’d like that,” Stiles agrees. And then, “Can I kiss you?”

When Derek nods, Stiles leans over the table and presses a soft kiss against Derek’s lips. It’s a little awkward with the table, but it feels right to be finally kissing him. Stiles’ cheeks are tinged pink when they pull away, and Derek can’t help to pull him in for one more. The waitress clearing her throat a moment later makes them pull apart again, and now they’re both blushing. 

She sets the food on their table, and Derek doesn’t miss how she rolls her eyes and mumbles, “About time” as she walks away.

Stiles lets out a breathless laugh and tangles his legs with Derek’s under the table as he starts eating his food. 

Derek still needs to ask Stiles about coming with him to his family’s big full moon dinner. But for right now, he’s going to enjoy his time alone with him. That question can wait a little bit longer, he thinks. They can go on a few more dates, get used to this new thing between them, and then he can ask him. And then, sometime in the future they can start discussing more about being mates.

Derek listens to Stiles ramble on about something he was researching and thinks, _I’m happy_.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! :)


End file.
